1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to the field of horticultural apparatus and methods and more particularly to a new and useful apparatus and method for preventing premature and/or uneven separation of the sepals of floral buds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the bud stage in the development of a flower, the floral petals form an internal envelope called a "corolla" inside a covering called a "calyx" having several leaves called "sepals". A growing corolla exerts pressure on the calyx internally causing it to expand as it grows until the sepals separate at the top of the calyx as the individual petals emerge and unfold from the top of the bud.
Under certain conditions, particularly sudden temperature and humidity changes, a corolla is stimulated into an uneven or excessive rate of growth and may exert enough internal pressure to rupture the calyx sidewall by either splitting or separating adjacent sepals. Petals from the corolla then start growing out through the calyx sidewall. This results in a cull which usually cannot be sold.
Florists generally, and growers producing carnations in hot houses in particular, have long recognized this problem and have adopted a number of expedients to minimize the problem with indifferent success or with excessive labor and equipment costs.
One procedure has been to wrap paper-covered wire bands or ties around the buds and to twist the ties to reinforce the calyx. When the bands are too tight, they interfere with normal bud growth. Bands which are too loose do not prevent sepal separation. Further, the labor required to install the bands and then remove them before the flowers are harvested is excessive.
Another expedient is to wrap an adhesive-coated cellophane band or tape around the bud. Such bands can usually be installed with the appropriate tension but the labor cost of installation is excessive, the bands are removed with considerable difficulty and frequently damage the buds while being removed and the bands are not re-usable. The magnitude of the problem can be appreciated when it is realized that some growers produce and harvest millions of carnations per year as well as any other flowers susceptible to the same problem. Prior to the present invention, the growers of such flowers had the alternatives of incurring excessive costs in protecting the buds against splitting or avoiding such costs and incurring excessive loss due to bud rupture and consequent culling.